The 2020 Tour de France is set to kick off this Saturday in Nice in front of only a few dozen people. However, due to the current health conditions, an “almost behind closed doors for the start” is planned. It is known that this edition of the Grand Tour was postponed by two months due to the pandemic.
The Prefect announced this yesterday afternoon. This decision is a result of the Alpes-Maritimes department being classified as a “red zone” for the coronavirus.
“This start will take place within significant bubbles, with reduced attendance, almost behind closed doors,” added Bernard Gonzalez. “We entered the red zone this (Thursday) morning, we are not caught off guard.”
For the first two stages, which take place in the Nice region on Saturday and Sunday, spectators along the route will need to wear masks, and no vehicles will be allowed to park in the mountain passes. Law enforcement “will do everything to ensure that spectators do not remain clustered at a pass,” stated the prefect, referring to a health protocol validated at the national level. “If I have one piece of advice for spectators, it’s to watch the climbs of the passes on television.”
According to Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour, the red zoning of Alpes-Maritimes was “anticipated”: “We have known for at least ten days that we would move from a tighter system to an even tighter one.”
“The safest place in terms of health precautions is the Tour de France, in Nice,” assured Christian Estrosi. “We want zero mistakes from now until Monday (when the race moves away from Nice), and I hope for ASO and Christian Prudhomme, until Paris, in three weeks. We want to show viewers around the world that we are faultless.”
